February, 19 lo 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



69 



The World's Largest Swannery 



By Harold J. Shepstone 



HAT is declared to be the oldest and largest and placid within, and form an ideal home for the swans, 

 swannery in the world is that belonging to and an undisturbed resting-place for the many species of 

 Lord Ilchester, and situated at Abbots- rare wild fowl that visit it in the late autumn, 

 bury, a little village in Dorsetshire, about The swannery proper occupies a stretch of low, marshy 

 nine miles from the City of Weymouth, ground. In winter it is a well-nigh inaccessible swamp, and 

 England. It is said to be over 800 years throughout the summer it is a dense jungle of reeds and 

 old, and there is documentary evidence of osiers, and other semi-aquatic plants. These form an ad- 

 its existence at the time of the Tudors. Here may be seen mirable cover for certain decoy ponds and duck tubes which 

 at any one time over one thousand graceful white swans. are in use during the flight season later in the year. The 

 The village is situated near the extremity of Chesil keepers have also trained a number of the swans to assist 

 Beach, a gigantic ridge of huge pebbles which runs ten them in this work. The wild birds without suspicion fol- 

 miles parallel to the shore, and terminates at the Isle of low the tame swans into a long, netted passage which grows 

 Portland. Between the beach and the mainland is a long gradually narrower, and has no outlet; thus the birds are 

 stretch of brackish , i m p r i s o ned. As 

 water, known as the many as ^00 wild 

 Fleet, which is the ^^^^^ ^ swans, birds and 

 home of the swans. ^^^^^KKKKKKKKtKKMt^^ ducks have been 

 The Fleet H^H^^ElMj^yP^ jf'''^^2lf^'^^^^^^^^^|P^^^^^^^^^^^^^I caught 



either by land or by ^^^HHh|^^ ^^t^r ^^m^^^^^^mKtj^^^^^^^^^^^^^^M By far the 



far re- ^^^^^^^g m jflirl^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H 



from ^^^^^^V '''^IBF ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H to the 



busy haunts ^^^^^^H ^^Pl^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^f 



the ^^^^^^B ^ ^^^^H^^^^^^^^^^^^l ^^^ months 



Beach, like a mighty ^^^^H^^ fL^-. ^^^H^^^^^^^^^^^^l March and April, 



protects ^^^^^^^M^iSP^ ^Mr '- ^^/^tf^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^ birds 



from the storms ^^^^^^HL^v\_^ ^ ^^ ^-^^ ■ ^^^^^^^^^H semble from all 



which sweep across ^^^^^^^^^■■MHft||^^[ijtt|j^^^^ ll^^^H parts of the Fleet to 



the English Chan- ^^^^^^^^^^^H^^^^^^^H "^ ** ^^^^ the marshy but 



nel. When the ^^^^^^^^^^H^^^^^^^^^^^w '--*<'whh|Smi comparativelv hard 



waves roll m like ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H^^^^^^SBH3fa^^_.-«,' . ^^^^^^^^_^ ciry ground, for the 



thunder break ^^^^^B^^^^^H^VflBB^^HHE^S^HSl^^^^^^l^^^^^M^^ 



in clouds of spray I^^^H^^^^^^^^P^BSi^^PB^B^^^H^B^^^^^^^^^^^ Imagine 



against this wall of ^^^^^^H^^^^^BIl^^SEBH^^HH^^^^^flB^'- '-'-....-. tcss-.r. somewhat bare 



pebbles, the waters ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^w5«»««i^i^^^^^^^^^^»fc-.^^^^«^^^^^ field, crossed at fre- 



of the Fleet lie calm On guard quent intervals by 



